A vegan-friendly dessert shop serving “cake shakes” is now open in New York City. Called “Cake Shake USA,” the sweet shop specializes in serving “over-the-top” milkshakes.
“I wanted to find a way to do something with cake and ice cream and elaborate toppings and I wanted to make it make it vegan as well,” Cake Shake USA co-owner, Neil Zach, told local news site Bedford + Bowery.
Though not completely vegan, the East Village-based sweet shop offers a wide array of decadent plant-based milkshakes — inspired, in part, by New York burger bar Black Tap’s wildly popular, cake batter-infused milkshakes. Zach turned to his friend and Cake Shake USA’s executive chef, Felix Castro, to help bring the concept to life. Castro has spent years developing the homemade vegan ice cream recipes used in the dairy-free shakes.
“Essentially, we wanted a place where anyone could go and order this over-the-top Instagrammable shake that is also sensitive to lifestyle and [is plant-based],” said Zach.
One menu item, the “Matcha Matcha Man” is comprised of nondairy coconut-based ice cream mixed with matcha powder, swirled with chocolate cake, and topped with dairy-free whipped cream. Another option, called the “Avocolada,” is the shop’s take on a piña colada, only with the addition of creamy avocado. Further, the coffee lover’s “Pop Mocha” features vegan tres leches ice cream, espresso reduction, caramel corn, and plant-based whipped cream. And, the appropriately-named “Bling Bomb” appears to be a gold lover’s dream.
Zach, who began incorporating more plant-based food into his diet about a year and a half ago, was partly inspired by his daughters to create the vegan-friendly shake shop. “I have two daughters who have a sweet tooth. I’ve taken them on my journey on veganism. I wanted [options] that were healthier and plant-based,” he said. Wanting to keep the establishment family-friendly, all kids under 12 get a free vegan milkshake with the purchase of an adult shake.
Cake Shake USA’s NYC location is now open in East Village. According to Cake Shake USA’s official Instagram page, a Los Angeles location is coming soon.
This post was last modified on December 15, 2020 6:35 am